Sectarian Conflict at Jagannath

According to the Madala Panji, the historical chronicles of the Jagannath temple, the images Shri Shnkaracharya a and Shri Padmapada were also placed on the Ratnasimhasana of Jagannatha and regularly worshipped until the reign of Raja Divyasimha Dova of Khurda (1787-1793 C.E).

However, at a later time, they were relocated from that position and unfortunately vandalized by members of another sect. Some say that the image of Bhairava, placed near the deity was removed by the person belonged to another sect who was in charge of Administration of the temple . The efforts made by local Advaita mathas to address this issue were not entirely successful, but they were able to partially maintain their rights within the temple.

Despite these sectarian conflicts, it is noteworthy that the royal dynasty of Odisha continued the tradition of granting access to the Shankaracharyas of the FIVE Mathas to reach the Ratna Simhasana of Shri Jagannath and perform worship in accordance with the established customs.